. The mythology of all races. s alreadywide-spread at the time of the foundation of the Sung dynastyin 960 A.D., but this did not prevent an attempt being made toreplace this worship of a foreign goddess by that of a Chinesedeity. The first Emperor of the Sung dynasty tried to elevateChang Hsien to the position of the deity to whom prayers foroffspring should be addressed, but his efforts were not rewardedwith success. There are conflicting tales as to the identity ofChang Hsien. One of these states that his name was mentionedto the Emperor by the Lady Fei who had been taken from beingthe conc
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. The mythology of all races. s alreadywide-spread at the time of the foundation of the Sung dynastyin 960 A.D., but this did not prevent an attempt being made toreplace this worship of a foreign goddess by that of a Chinesedeity. The first Emperor of the Sung dynasty tried to elevateChang Hsien to the position of the deity to whom prayers foroffspring should be addressed, but his efforts were not rewardedwith success. There are conflicting tales as to the identity ofChang Hsien. One of these states that his name was mentionedto the Emperor by the Lady Fei who had been taken from beingthe concubine of Meng Chang, the last ruler of the Shu stateof Szechuan, to be the concubine of the first Sung Emperor. DOMESTIC RITES 83 She had a portrait hanging at the doorway of her apartmentswhich was presumably that of her first husband j but whenquestioned as to whose portrait it was, this clever woman an-swered that it was that of Chang Hsien, a recluse of the periodof the Five Dynasties. Another account states that the por-. FiG. 21. Chang Hsien trait was one of the founder of the Tang dynasty, and thatChang Hsien was only a supposititious name given to him bythis woman. In a collection of poems called Su Lao-ch^uan Tsi^it is said that the full name of Chang Hsien is Chang Yuan-hsiao. He was a native of Mei-shan, in Szechuan province, andretired for contemplation as a recluse to the Ching ChengMountain in the Kuan district, also in Szechuan Province. Theauthor of this poem was himself rewarded for praying to ChangHsien by the birth of two children. This deity is reputed to 84 CHINESE MYTHOLOGY have taken up his spiritual abode in the Chia Hsien pavilion atChiung Chow in Szechuan Province. All the references toChang Hsien connect him with Szechuan Province and he maybe considered as a special guardian of this part of China. He isrepresented as a man of noble bearing carrying a cross-bow andarrows. Above his head are clouds in which are seen the sunand the heavenly dog, reputed